Closed for applications ** Business Support Organisations and importers can still participate

This programme is aimed at connecting exporters of natural ingredients from Pakistan with European businesses in the food processing, cosmetics – or cosmeceuticals – and pharmaceutical industries. Pakistan has a good range of products. There is a lot of demand in Europe for natural ingredients in different industries.

The programme for Natural and Food Ingredients Pakistan aims especially at enabling Pakistan’s small to medium-sized enterprises to enter the European market. Many of the products these companies sell are unique to Pakistan. Together they make up a broad offer that is interesting to European buyers.

Project details

This programme began in 2014 and will end in 2017. In the first year, we selected and audited participating companies. The purpose of the audits is to find out a company’s strengths and weaknesses. After that, we began to give the companies training and coaching.

One of the main training goals in this programme is to help the participating companies add more value to their products. Value-added products get better margins than raw materials. For example, a company that can offer rice proteins has better chances in Europe than a company exporting raw rice. We are also helping the companies to develop their processing capacities so that they can produce these more specialised products.

Most of the companies in the programme have reached the market entry phase. This means they are ready to export to Europe. They know the European markets better and they have developed an interesting offer. CBI is now supporting them in exhibiting at European trade fairs, such as:

Biofach, the world’s leading trade fair for organic food, in Nuremberg, Germany;

SIAL, the world’s largest food innovation exhibition, in Paris, France;

Project participants and products

A total of 20 companies are taking part in this programme. The products they offer include processed fruit and vegetables, edible nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and herbs, grains and pulses.

Partners

The TDAP is helping CBI to facilitate the programme and supporting the participating companies. We are also training the TDAP. Our aim is to help the organisation broaden and improve its trade services and to get more knowledge of the European market.

Get involved as an importer

Are you a European importer interested in natural and food ingredients from Pakistan? If you are, you can contact CBI to get more information, or to meet with potential suppliers who have been trained for export to Europe.